Tying notes

• Floyd prefers the Trey Combs hook in 6/0 for longer flies, or 2/0 for smaller flies. He prefers the large gap and the slightly heavier hook wire compared to say, the Mustad 34007 or Tiemco 911s.
  
  
• Note the pattern calls for 3D eyes, rather the the flat stick-on eyes. This is to give the head of the fly more of a profile. Floyd prefers chartreuse or red backing, and uses eyes that are a little larger relative to fly size than you might expect, as larger eyes seem to draw more strikes.
  
  
• When tying in the the E-Z body braid for the head, Floyd tries to keep a fairly large gap behind eye. This is to allow for the doubling over of the braid to form the head. Note that the head is formed by tying in the braid pointing forward over the eye, trimming it to length, then pushing it back over the eye a short distance to form the head, then pulling it forward (sort of like unrolling a sock).
  
  
• Floyd prefers mono thread (fine, clear), as it becomes translucent when head cement is applied.
  
  
• Super Hair for larger flies (4”+), and Ultra Hair for smaller flies is preferred. Floyd also uses Angel Hair for smaller flies, but if he does so, he may use Super Hair as base for the Angel Hair, since the Angel Hair tends to tangle.
  
  
• Floyd uses Comes Alive and Fluoro Fiber for flash; he likes stuff that is a bit more subtle in flash than the typical Flash-a-Bou. He likes to evenly mix the flash throughout the fly.
  
  
• Each hair bundle is about 12 hairs, and the ends are staggered before tying in, rather than trying to trim the hair after being tied in.
  
  
• Floyd ties in the bundles assymetrically (not directly in the middle, maybe 1/3 – 2/3), before binding down. The exact tie-in point is varied to adjust the profile of the body/wing.
  
  
• Hair bundles are tied around the shank to build a wider profile, but Floyd tries to avoid too bulky a fly. Therefore, he puts less material on the sides than on the top, and even less on the bottom.
  
  
• Goop is used to attach the eyes to the head after the head is formed and tied off. Permanent markers are used to color the head to match the wing hair. A light coat of 5-Minute Z-Poxy is brushed over the head to finish it off. Floyd only uses a light coat of epoxy - not enough to drip off the fly, so there is no need to rotate the fly while the epoxy is curing. This is more of a protective coat, as opposed to a finish coat. The epoxy also makes the fly a bit more aerodynamic. If he's not that concerned with durability, Floyd may even fish the fly without the epoxy coat, as Goop does a good job of keeping the eyes on without epoxy.